AN ITCH IN TIME – GOT RID OF MINE WITH BENADRYL, Extra Strength
Written: Aug 02 '02 (Updated Aug 03 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: it works
Cons: expensive, a greasy residue if lavishly applied
The Bottom Line: It works to stop the itch quickly.
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| Granniemose's Full Review: Benadryl Itch-Stopping Treatment, Extra Strength |
“You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.”
“Mine doesn’t itch”
“Mine does – and I just can’t reach the spot. Please?”
“Oh all right, but it’s the last time. You are getting a Benadryl rub.”
Yes, I got the back rub from Jude, and the Benadryl worked.
It’s not the first time that the handy tube of Benadryl has worked for me, or for my family. I have kept a tube of the stuff around for a long time. Oh, I have tried other brands (which I won’t name here) because they were cheaper. They worked for about a half hour, and then the itch would return full measure.
I first encountered Benadryl during my husband’s last month- long stay at the hospital.
My husband was a very sick man. He had a dreadful, sadistic nurse assigned to him one night. She was washing his private parts, and scrubbed so fiercely that Lou cried out in pain. Now Lou never groaned, or fussed about pain. He considered it unmanly. He was a man who had had his lungs pierced and drained a number of times without making a sound, although it was a painful procedure. He had had accidents that I won’t go into here and suffered through them quietly. It didn’t phase him when a pace maker was inserted into his veins.
So, if Lou cried out in pain, you know he was really hurting. My oldest son was with me at the time, and he told the nurse to take it easy. She gave Lou another vicious rub, and laughed when he yelped.
“Do you think that’s funny?” asked my son, Jim.
“Look, I’m only trying to be cheerful” she retorted. “Of course, if you want me to be a grouch, I can be that too.”
“I just want you to stay the hell away from my Dad.” Said Jim, “and don’t come near him again.” She flounced out, and the head nurse came to the room. “She is a good nurse,” the woman pleaded. “She is a little burned out, that’s all. She’s my daughter in law.” “She’s a sadist”, said Jim, angry. “Just keep her away from my father.”
The nurse was assigned to a different section of the ward, and the head nurse ordered medication to be applied that would remove the pain the nurse had inflicted.
However, the reaction from the incident caused Lou, in his weakened state, to develop an itchy rash that was almost as troublesome as the scrubbed testicles. Both of my daughters in law and one of my daughters are RNs, and Jim’s wife came to the hospital with a big tube of Benadryl. I asked the Doctor if it would be OK to put it on the rash, and he whole heartedly gave his approval. So Sandy applied the ointment, and the itch stopped within a ten minute period. And it lasted. It was applied every four or five hours by the hospital personnel, or by one of us, and the rash cleared up. Since that time, I have kept it around. It works.
It is a creamy lotion that isn’t hard to apply, although it sometimes leaves a gummy or sticky residue if you use too much. There is no unpleasant medicinal odor, but the most important thing is that it WORKS. We have used it on insect bites, allergies, poison oak, and just on that unexplained spot that you get when you don’t want to scratch. Judy’s hands would sometimes itch after a long period at the hospital when her hands had been washed over and over again. By the time she would get home, the itch would be annoying, and out would come the Benadryl.
I don’t suppose you want to know about the ingredients in the ointment. As far as I am concerned I hate listing all of that stuff, but sometimes it is important for people to know a little about it.
Well, the main ingredients (as far as I can tell) are diphenhydramamine hydroclorate, and zinc acetate. One review that I read by Lynus pointed out that dramamine induces drowsiness, and that it should be used with care. Benadryl also comes in pill form to be taken orally for a different type of itch. I have never used the pills, but I assume that if you do, you shouldn’t drive, or drink intoxicating beverages. This little tid bit I took from Lynus review.
It costs five dollars for a large tube at my drug store. You might be able to get it cheaper at Wall Marts, or if you can somehow find a sale, or a coupon.
I recommend it. I have tried it, and I have seen it work.
If you are, however, a big shaggy bear, you might try rubbing up against an oak tree. You could save the money, but it probably wouldn’t do much for either the tree or for your hide.
Thank you.
Virginia
PS If you are interested in this product, may I suggest that you also read the review by Lynus. His is a far more comprehensive review than mine.
Recommended:
Yes
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Granniemose
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Member: Virginia
Location: Greenest spot in the land of the free
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